Cool Spy Gadgets » Computer Career Training And Study In The UK Examined

Computer Career Training And Study In The UK Examined

11.10.2009 | Author: Jason Kendall | Posted in Computer

by Jason Kendall

A fraction of the working population in the United Kingdom are claiming to be happy in their job. Inevitably, huge numbers will just stay there. The fact that you’re reading this at least suggests that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.

We’d strongly advise that before you start any individual training program, you discuss your plans with a person who is familiar with the working environment and can give you advice. They can look at aspects of your personality and help you find your ideal job to train for:

* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you like working with the same people or are you hoping to meet new people? Alternatively, do you like to deal with your responsibilities alone?

* Building and Banking are none too stable right now, so it’s important to look very carefully at what sector would give you the most options?

* And how many years do you want to get out of your retraining, and can your chosen industry give you the confidence that will happen?

* Do you believe that retraining in your chosen sector can help you find employment, and will provide the facility to be employed up to the time you want to stop?

Don’t overlook the IT industry, it will be well worth your time – unusually, it’s one of the growing market sectors in this country and overseas. And the salaries are much higher than most.

The market provides a plethora of employment in IT. Arriving at the correct choice out of this complexity often proves challenging.

As without any commercial background in IT, how should we possibly be expected to understand what someone in a particular job does?

Often, the key to unlocking this question appropriately flows from a full chat, covering several different topics:

* What nature of person you reckon you are – what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, and conversely – what you hate to do.

* Are you driven to obtain training due to a particular raison d’etre – e.g. is it your goal to work based from home (maybe self-employment?)?

* What scale of importance is the salary – is it very important, or is enjoying your job a lot higher on the scale of your priorities?

* Learning what the main IT roles and markets are – and what makes them different.

* You should also think long and hard about what kind of effort and commitment you’ll put into gaining your certifications.

To be honest, it’s obvious that the only real way to gain help on these matters is through a chat with an advisor or professional that has years of experience in IT (and chiefly the commercial needs.)

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you get carried away with this so-called guarantee, be aware of the facts:

Certainly it’s not free – you’re still footing the bill for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing.

We all want to pass first time. Going for exams in order and funding them one at a time sees you much better placed to get through first time – you revise thoroughly and are aware of the costs involved.

Why pay the training course provider early for examinations? Find the best deal you can when you’re ready, don’t pay mark-ups – and take it closer to home – rather than possibly hours away from your area.

A great deal of money is netted by a number of companies that take the exam money up-front. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don’t get to do their exams and so they pocket the rest. Believe it or not, there are companies around who depend on students not taking their exams – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.

The majority of organisations will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing – which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.

Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

Most commercial training providers will only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends.

Avoid, like the plague, any organisations who use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – where you’ll get called back during typical office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need an answer now.

Keep your eyes open for providers that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. These should be integrated to offer a simple interface as well as 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, with the minimum of hassle.

If you opt for less than support round-the-clock, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You may avoid using the support in the middle of the night, but you may need weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

Many trainers supply a practical Job Placement Assistance facility, to assist your search for your first position. But don’t place too much emphasis on it – it’s quite easy for eager sales people to make too much of it. At the end of the day, the massive skills shortage in the United Kingdom is what will make you attractive to employers.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews might be provided (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you update that dusty old CV right away – don’t leave it till you pass the exams!

Having the possibility of an interview is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior positions are bagged by trainees (sometimes when they’ve only just got going.)

The best services to help get you placed are generally specialist locally based employment services. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.

A slight aggravation of many training course providers is how hard people are focused on studying to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the position they’re qualified for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.

About the Author:

Share and Enjoy: